The latest in our projects and machinery additions.

Monday Manufacturing Round-Up

As we hit the half way point in 2014, nothing but sunny weather and optimistic feelings about the economy are in the future. An increase in focus on manufacturing education is on the up-rise as well. On to the links:

For those interested in additive manufacturing, Makerbot is issuing a Mars Base Challenge. The manufacturer of the popular 3-d printer is running a contest to see who can come up with, and print out the best idea for a theoretical base on Mars.

That it for this week’s links. Here’s to a productive start to your week.

Coiled Steel Straighteners

The next auxiliary machine involved with a punch press set up, isn’t always necessary. Material straighteners are used in a hand full of situations, however, aren’t always necessary and their usage depends heavily on the condition of the material and amount of stations within a die.

Coiled material will always have a slight curvature to it, due to its tightly wound and banded state. To neutralize the curvature in coiled steel, straighteners have to really make a mark on the material. In the picture above, there are 9 straightening rollers. The pressure from each roller bends the material in different directions to eventually even out the material. As the material enters from the right, the first rollers apply the most force, and as the material moves to the left and towards the press, the rollers weaken in force applied allowing for the deformations to gradually even out, making the material straight.

The other common situation where a material straightener is required is when the material is being ran through a progressive die of more than three stations. Running material through multiple stations means that there are multiple forms, hole piercing, or cutting that needs to be done to create the desired part. Because of the multiple operations that need to be done, ensuring that the raw material that is being fed into the press is as straight, and flat as possible is paramount. Having the material be consistently straight helps ensure that the die will run as it is designed, and eliminate any backing up of material or malfunctions that could be detrimental to the die and stamping press.

Next week, we’ll take a look at feeders, the ever important auxiliary equipment that keeps the material churning into the stamping press.

Monday Manufacturing Round-Up

After the long weekend, we catch back up with the world of manufacturing today with stories ranging from a lack of new home buyers to new safety regulations for the Keystone pipeline. On to the links:

Market Place has a story taking a look at the lack of first-time home buyers. An all-time high of 43% of home sales in the first quarter in 2014 were done in straight cash deals.

A surprise up-tick in orders of durable goods has economists optimistic about the US economy. The LA Times reports that there was an increase in orders by 0.8% last month, when initial forecasts predicted a 0.8% drop off. The main increase came from the transportation equipment and military aircraft industries.

Beechcraft and Wichita State University are teaming up to give under-graduate engineering students a chance to get valuable work experience. Manufacturing.net has the story on the relationship, that has helped Beechcraft in engineering hours, and helped students get jobs, sometimes before they even graduate.

IMPO Magazine has the latest on two new regulations for the controversial Keystone Pipeline. The regulations include hiring a third-party contractor, chosen by the safety agency, to monitor and report on the pipeline construction, while the second regulation has TransCanada adopt a detailed quality control procedure.

The newly elected Prime Minister of India plans on adding solar power to homes across India by 2019. Bloomberg notes that roughly 400 million people in India live in homes without any electricity, and that solar panels could potentially light two bulbs, a solar cooker, and a television in each home.

That’s it for your special Tuesday edition of MMRU. Here’s to a productive start to your week.

Monday Manufacturing Round-Up

Today our links take a quick look around the manufacturing world of the Jeep Wrangler, Tesla’s plans for their battery manufacturing, and women in manufacturing. Here are today’s stories:

The Pittsburgh Business Times is reporting that Jeep is strongly considering making the next generation of Wranglers from aluminum. Jeep is closely monitoring the success of the new Ford F-150 that is being made with aluminum bodies.

Tesla has big plans for a battery manufacturing plant planning to break ground next month, and finish in 2020, but the Wall Street Journal isn’t so sure that it can be done. If Tesla were to be successful, they would be able to churn out as many lithium ion batteries as all of the current plants create today.

Women in Manufacturing has announced the date and location of this year’s, Women in Manufacturing Summit. The annual two-day summit aims to retain women currently in the manufacturing world, and attempt to attract more women into manufacturing.

The National Association of Home Builders blog, Eye on Housing, takes a look at the most common remodeling projects of 2013.

That’s it for the short list of links today. Here’s to a productive start to your week.

Monday Manufacturing Round-Up:

As we move on from Mother’s day over the weekend, and begin National Small Business Week, things are looking up for American manufacturers. With the implementation of robotics, and exporting materials, manufacturers in the US are feeling optimistic for their futures. On to the links:

Professional Remodeler online has a dual interview with two of the leading re-modelers in the field of “aging in place remodeling.” Aging in place remodeling transforms your home for an ensuing elderly lifestyle, that doesn’t sacrifice a modern look.

That’s it for the links, happy National Small Business week to all of the other small businesses out there, and here’s to a productive start to your week.

Monday Manufacturing Round-Up

As we get into the swing of things in May, jobs in the service industries are on the way up, however things don’t look quite as rosy for those in construction and over-seas. There is also a new trend in the manufacturing of solar panels that could reduce costs, allowing manufacturers to pass on the savings. On to the links:

Those who watch over the labor statistics of our service industries are happy about the growth they’ve seen. Market Watch has the brief. Some of the notable growth sectors include wholesale trade, retail trade and arts, and entertainment and recreation.

While service industries seem to be on the up, The NAHB’s Eye on Housing report isn’t as optimistic. While they do note that there has been a decrease in the unemployment rate, the construction jobs across the country haven’t increased significantly, and the NAHB blog attributes most of the dwindling unemployment numbers to people removing themselves from the job hunt.

In the mean time, Chinese manufacturing has shrank for the fourth month in a row. IMPO Magazine reports that the HSBC’s purchasing manager’s index is again signaling a decrease in production in China, however at a slower rate than what was reported for the three previous months.

Solar panel manufacturers in the US and the UK are experimenting with tin in aims of driving down the cost of the panels. International Business Times has the story that breaks down the thought of using tin as an alternative to lead.

Contracting Business has a story on the lack of refrigeration repair people on the job market. With a lack of interest from most vocational schools, the low and medium refrigeration repair sector is struggling to replace those who are retiring.

A happy Cinco de Mayo to all, and here’s to a productive start to your week.

Monday Manufacturing Round-Up

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, spring will be arriving this week with nothing but sunshine and heat. As for the links, North Dakota is putting its economic chips down on drones, while pending home sales increase from last month:

Market Place has an article and radio brief on the future of American Manufacturing. “Middle-skill” jobs are what the future of manufacturing in the US will offer.

Pending home sales last month were up 3.4% from February, the first increase in pending home sales in nine months. Market Watch has the brief.

Some potential avenues for the previously mentioned “middle-skill” jobs in manufacturing could be with drone manufacturing. North Dakota is banking on that idea, and the drone manufacturers like it out there due to its varying weather conditions, and low commercial flight traffic for test flights.